IS CALLING IT THE "GREEN WAVE" A FORM OF CLOSET ISLAMOPHOBIA?

 

IS CALLING IT THE "GREEN WAVE" A FORM OF CLOSET ISLAMOPHOBIA?

We must revisit what happened immediately after GE15 in 2022 because we cannot afford to let history repeat itself. Millions of Malaysian voters - who went to the ballot box with hope and clear principles - found themselves outmaneuvered by political leaders whose primary hunger was for power.

When politicians readily compromise on their own core promises and manipulate public sentiment just to secure office, citizens must look back and dissect how it was done. Understanding the birth of the "Green Wave" myth is essential if we want to protect our democratic choices from being weaponized against us in the future.

Immediately after that election, I wrote that what Malaysia had witnessed was not a "Green Wave." I still hold that view today.

To understand why, we must look at what happened before Malaysians went to the polling stations during GE15.

For months leading up to the election, something remarkable was taking place. For the first time in decades, Malaysians from every race, religion, and background were talking about one issue above all else: corruption.

This conversation did not originate from politicians. It came from civil society, ordinary citizens, and religious organizations. One of the most significant efforts was led by #RasuahBusters through its Satu Jari campaign. Together with hundreds of NGOs, community organizations, and concerned citizens, they successfully pushed integrity and anti-corruption to the top of the national agenda.

The message cut across all faiths:

• In mosques: Friday sermons frequently reminded Muslims that corruption is a betrayal of amanah (trust).
• In churches: Sermons spoke about integrity and the moral responsibility to reject corrupt practices.
• In temples and gurdwaras: Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, and Taoist communities drew upon their own scriptures to emphasize honesty, justice, and ethical leadership.

Something extraordinary had happened. Malaysia was not united by ethnicity; we were united by values.

Every community expressed that conviction through their own lens. Muslims opposed corruption because they wanted to be good Muslims. Christians opposed it because they wanted to be good Christians. Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs, and Taoists did exactly the same to live up to their own spiritual teachings.

Different faiths. Different languages. One moral conclusion.

That is why I argued then - and still argue now - that GE15 was not a Green Wave. It was a Red, White, Blue and Yellow Malaysian Wave. It was millions of citizens arriving at the exact same ethical destination through different spiritual paths.

The Architecture of a Distraction

Then, almost immediately after the election, the national conversation was hijacked. The profound focus on corruption and integrity vanished overnight. A new label began to dominate the media and political commentary: the "Green Wave."

The person or group of persons who coined and popularized this term did a massive disservice - not just to Islam, but to the entire nation.

Malaysians are smart enough to look past the surface and ask: why was this label manufactured in the first place? What was the true intent behind it?

When we analyze the immediate aftermath of GE15, two political motivations become clear:

First, certain political actors realized a terrifying truth: if cross-cultural values, integrity, and anti-corruption became the primary drivers for voters, the old political playbook was dead. For decades, many had depended entirely on race and religious division to maintain power. A united Malaysian population voting on shared ethical principles meant these parties would lose their grip on the electorate. They needed to force the conversation back into the familiar territory of fear and identity politics.

Second, the label provided a convenient, manufactured crisis. In the post-election scramble for power, certain factions needed a powerful justification to go back on their solemn campaign promises. Just days prior, they were loudly campaigning against corruption and promising never to work with certain figures. Yet, suddenly, they were "buddy-buddy" and forming a government together.

To hide this hypocrisy, they needed an imaginary monster. By inventing and stoking the fear of a looming "Green Wave," they created the perfect pretext to justify their sudden political realignment. It allowed them to pretend they were saving the country, when in reality, they were simply securing power.

Let me be absolutely clear: I am not a member of any political party, and I am certainly not a member of PAS. But we must realize that when political opponents attack PAS by weaponizing Islam and using loaded terms like "Green Wave," it triggers a dangerous chain reaction. It distorts how non-Muslims view Islam, and it inevitably provokes a defensive reaction from Muslims who feel their faith is being demonized.

This is incredibly damaging for a nation like ours. If we want to build a Malaysia that genuinely accepts diversity, finds compromise, and seeks ways to harmonize our different religious beliefs and ethnic backgrounds, this calculated polarization must stop. When leaders pretend to forget their own principles and manufacture fear to cover their tracks, it reveals a profound lack of integrity. These are the maneuvers that should make citizens deeply cautious about the leadership we trust.

The Impact of the Label

Once the election results were successfully framed as a Green Wave, the story was no longer about millions of Malaysians rejecting corruption. Instead, attention was forced onto one community, one religion, and one color. The narrative moved from shared values back to identity politics. From unity back to division.

Public discussion stopped asking why Malaysians had united against corruption and instead began debating whether this "Green Wave" was something to be feared.

This double standard remains deeply troubling:

• If Christians vote against corruption based on Christian values, nobody calls it a "Christian Wave."
• If Buddhists vote against corruption based on Buddhist values, nobody calls it a "Buddhist Wave."
• If Hindus or Sikhs vote based on their teachings, nobody labels it a "Hindu or Sikh Wave."

So why, when Muslims vote according to Islamic values against corruption, does it suddenly get labeled a "Green Wave"? Were they not simply trying to be good Muslims, just as others were trying to be faithful to the moral teachings of their own traditions?

When a political label repeatedly associates a democratic choice with a color strongly identified with Islam - and frames that choice as an existential threat - does it merely describe reality? Or does it actively encourage people to associate Islam with fear?

That is why I ask whether calling GE15 the "Green Wave" became a form of closet Islamophobia.

I am not suggesting that every person who uses the term intends it maliciously. But the effect of the term is undeniable: it shifts the public consciousness away from a cross-cultural rejection of corruption and replaces it with suspicion toward one religious community.

Malaysia deserves better than this lazy, divisive framing. Our greatest achievement in GE15 was not which coalition won or lost. It was that, for a brief moment, Malaysians from every race and faith found common moral ground.

That is the wave we should choose to remember.

Peace,

Anas Zubedy

Penang